Concerns regarding the effects of red meat on human and environmental health are prompting consumer interest in plant-based diets. As global food systems strive to meet the dietary needs of an estimated mid-century population of 10 billion, a new generation of plant-based meat alternatives—formulated to mimic the taste and nutritional composition of red meat—have attracted considerable consumer interest, research attention, and media coverage. We used untargeted metabolomics to provide an in-depth comparison of the nutrient profiles of grass-fed ground beef and a market-leading plant-based meat alternative. Metabolomics revealed a 90% difference in nutritional profiles beef and a popular plant-based meat, many of which can have important consumer health implications. This information could not be determined from their Nutrition Facts, which suggests nutritional similarity. Our findings indicate that beef and a popular plant-based meat should not be viewed as nutritionally interchangeable, but as complementary in terms of provided nutritional entities. As society aims to increase food production with ~ 60% by 2050, the meat and the plant-based meat industries will likely coexist and have to complement each other in order this reach this goal.